Liverpool are reportedly one of the several parties interested in signing MVV Mastricht wonderkid Xavier Mbuyamba, who is currently on trial at Chelsea.
Dutch publication Voetbal International have reported widespread interest in Dutch wonderkid Xavier Mbuyamba. The MVV Mastricht star has not agreed to sign a professional contract with the club and is drawing serious interest from the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Celtic, FC Porto and Bayern Munich.
While interest from the aforementioned clubs is said to be concrete, there is also passive interest from Dutch clubs Heracles and Groningen. Chelsea though, have been the first one to take a decisive step towards signing the 17-year-old, with Mbuyamba currently on trial at the club’s Cobham Training Ground.
A central defender by trade, Mbuyamba is already drawing serious comparisons with compatriot Virgil van Dijk. Standing at 1.95 metres, the 17-year-old not only has a towering presence at the back but has also built a reputation by making his senior debut for Mastricht at the age of 16, with a total of 11 appearances in the current season.
17-year-old Dutch attacker Xavier Mbuyamba is currently on a trial at Chelsea, whilst other big sides like Celtic, Porto, Bayern Munich & Liverpool have shown an interest in the MVV Maastricht wonderkid. [@VI_NL] #LFC pic.twitter.com/zsGSHAqZrK
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) May 14, 2019
Chelsea though, are facing a complicated situation as far as transfer dealings are concerned. The Blues’ transfer ban was upheld and they are now set to appeal to Court of Arbitration for Sports to either delay the commencement of the ban or nullify it completely. If CAS do not provide any remedy, Chelsea will be prohibited from signing any players for the foreseeable future.
But, Carlos Barros of Prestige Sports touched on the topic at the behest of Voetbal International, stating that there might be no problems in a deal for Mbuyamba, since the transfer ban does not apply to amateurs. Among other options is Liverpool, which will be an enticing prospect indeed for the 17-year-old.
The Reds will get a player who has been labelled as the next Virgil van Dijk, a prospect they can groom under the Dutchman to ultimately take over from him or perhaps, even pair with him in the near future.
There is also the prospect of following a similar career path to what Van Dijk opted for, with Celtic one of the clubs chasing the 17-year-old. Having already tasted senior football, Mbuyamba will be looking towards either diving straight into first-team football or a fast track into the first-team setup, something that will make his choice of club that much important.
Chelsea seem to have taken the lead in the race to sign Mbuyamba. But, a trial is not a done deal and the 17-year-old is still pretty much up for grabs. It will be interesting to see if the Blues can tie up a deal for the 17-year-old or someone from Liverpool, Celtic, Porto or Bayern Munich come in and swoop Mbuyamba away from that.
Mastricht’s loss might just be Premier League’s gain.
